Modern shoegaze: Julie and Blimp at The Parish

By Lillian Jones

Local Music Director

I received last-minute confirmation that I would be seeing the band Julie and opener Blimp in the early afternoon on Oct. 24. I would usually be hesitant about going to a show spontaneously on a Tuesday, but I decided to reward myself for surviving midterm season.

Dreary weather set the tone for a perfect night of shoegaze as I made my way to downtown Austin, to the fairly new venue, The Parish. As I approached the venue, the line around the block looked similar to that one photo of the 2014 Tumblr kids standing against a fence – if you know you know. Making my way inside, I got some cute merch and found my footing in the crowd. 

Blimp 

Going into Blimp’s set was like going into a movie that you have heard absolutely nothing about; only going out of boredom or to please your friends, then walking out with a new favorite movie. Blimp was a complete mystery that left me pleasantly surprised. 

The set started very abruptly and did not yield as they worked their way through a diverse set. Overall, the band’s discography varied between more relaxed, danceable songs to ones composed of thrashing, high-energy, pure noise. Notably, the last song, “Farmer”, was a very soft, melodic song that almost lulled me to sleep, before being suddenly whiplashed with gong-like drums and droning guitar noises similar to a loud siren. I highly suggest checking out this song to get a simple understanding of what the full Blimp experience was like. 

Julie

Having only known two Julie songs, I felt a bit out of place in the front row. Nevertheless, the experience of being fully immersed in the three-piece set made me an official Julie fan. 

I became encapsulated as Julie took the stage after aligning themselves in a row, having each member – including the drummer – at the front of the stage. After realizing that my friends and I were directly in front of the drums, I instantly regretted my forgetfulness when it came to earplugs. Directly after the first song, there was a pause as drummer Dillon Lee kicked a hole through his bass drum which the venue was fortunately able to replace very quickly. This bust did not stop Lee or the other members from continuing a high-energy set for the rest of the night. Both vocalists Alex Brady and Keyan Pourzand’s soft vocals hummed through the venue, as they swayed around with their guitar and bass. julie can best be described as shoegaze, but better. I truly believe that seeing them live will change your life if you are an enjoyer of the shoegaze/noise genre. 

This show was a perfect way to conclude the beforehand dreary, slow-paced day I had been having. I was left with my ears ringing and a new obsession with two bands that I believe are evolving the ways of the shoegaze genre. I have had the albums Egg by Blimp and Pushing Daisies by Julie on repeat for a week now and I highly suggest you do the same!